2017 Libra Astrology:

23 September – 22 October

Playing Hard

You may find yourself playing hard as the year gets off to a blast of a start, thanks to energetic Mars in Aquarius transiting your 5th house of romance, children and creativity. The 5th house also rules over sports, gambling, and hobbies, making sure you will be at no loss for fun activities as the year begins. Be careful not to impulse shop around January 7th, when stern Saturn may leave you with buyer’s regret. You’ll also need to avoid taking chances or breaking rules or else risk serious consequences. The New Moon in Capricorn on January 11th connects with powerful Pluto, communicative Mercury, and affectionate Venus in your 4th house of home and family, indicating an important new chapter in your life. Of course, with unpredictable Uranus activating your 7th house of marriage and partnerships, you may feel like every day is an adventure, whether you want it to be or not. Keep your sense of humor and go with the flow as much as possible!

Progressing

You can make a great deal of progress during the first half of the year as Jupiter moves through lively Gemini and your 9th house of law, education, and publishing. Libra is often very gifted when it comes to words and being able to convey meaning and this is the time to showcase those talents. The month of May should be especially eventful and fortunate, with many of you getting opportunities to travel to beautiful locations for business or for pleasure. Expansive Jupiter activates your 10th house of career and public standing after June 26th, giving you clear validation for some of the big decisions you made in the past year. It hasn’t been easy, but through careful deliberation and honesty, many of you are breaking out of restrictive chains to express yourself more authentically. This in turn is creating career opportunities for you. You can expect to shine in the public spotlight well into 2014 as you ride the wave of goodwill you have created!

Watch Your Wallet

Saturn moving through Scorpio and your 2nd house means that you will have to watch your wallet carefully. While traditional astrology might suggest this is a time of bad financial fortune, the reality is more often that you are self-employed or otherwise independently earning a living. Working by contract may mean receiving large sums of money must last a certain period of time, and it will be up to you to find a way to balance the restricted flow of cash. The 2nd house also signifies values that are near and dear to you. Some of you may choose to work fewer hours or for less money so that you can have more time and flexibility for family obligations. You will become more aware of your priorities and the need to structure your life accordingly as the year progresses. Several transits will trigger Saturn’s influence in your 2nd house this year, including a Mercury Retrograde and a few lunations. These are the times to be on the lookout for any problems with financing, payments, and purchases.

Relationships: the Journey to the Heart

There’s no place like home as the year gets off to a cozy start with Venus in Sagittarius and your 4th house of home and family. This is a great time to stay home and snuggle! The Goddess of Love moves into your 4th house of home and family on January 9th and meets up with Pluto, Lord of Beginnings and Endings, on January 17th. This is a time of transformation for you, especially related to how and where you live. Some may be welcoming a new member into the family, while others are saying goodbye, but either way, things will never be quite the same again. Venus moves into original Aquarius and your 5th house of pleasure and creativity on February 2nd, bringing a bit of joy back into your life. However, as Venus squares Saturn around February 11th, you may find that joy can be expensive, and you might not be able to afford as much of it as you’d like right now! In any case, Saturn will be hanging around to remind you that there is always some kind of price to pay, so practice moderation in all things.

Venus splashes into Pisces and your 6th house of health and duty on February 26th, joining forces with mystical Neptune. Helping others can be very spiritually satisfying for you now, as Venus and Neptune combine to create a sense of selfless, unconditional love. This is also a great time to give yourself a bit of love… schedule a therapeutic massage or other spa treatment to help increase your sense of wellbeing. Love gets back on track when Venus enters fiery Aries and your 7th house of marriage and partnerships on March 22nd. With revolutionary Uranus in your 7th house for several years to come, your most significant other could be going through some rather unsettling changes. This can lead to a separation if you are inflexible, but it can also be an opportunity to grow stronger together. To accomplish the later, you’ll need to give each other a certain amount of personal freedom. Venus encourages you to share your new experiences with each other and to celebrate your differences rather than fear them. If we stayed the same all of our lives, life would get boring!

On April 15th, Venus moves into sensual Taurus and your 8th house of sex, death, and rebirth, gently stirring your passions. This is a great time for intimacy as Venus brings a sense of tenderness to your lovemaking. The 8th house also signifies other people’s resources, making this an opportunity to ask for a loan or favors. Once Venus moves into Gemini and your 9th house of travel and adventure on May 9th, you’ll be ready for a change of scenery. This could be the luckiest month of the year for you, as jolly Jupiter blends with lovely Venus to bring you a wave of good fortune, especially related to higher education, law, and publishing. If you are traveling for business or pleasure, you can expect to have a lovely time! Life gets even sweeter after June 3rd, when Venus moves into Cancer and your 10th house of career and public standing. Your boss and other authority figures will appreciate your efforts and possibly even reward you in the form or a raise or promotion. In fact, your position is about to become much more secure as expansive Jupiter prepares to spend the next year or so creating beneficent and bountiful connections for you. Celebrate with your pals June 27th, when Venus moves into Leo and your 11th house of friends and associates. This is a great time for singles to meet like minded others, so be open to getting together with the friends of your friends. Partnered Scales will find that doing things you both enjoy will go a long way in strengthening your bond.

After July 22nd, Venus enters Virgo and your 12th house of secrets and solitude, urging you to slow down and reflect upon your relationships. Traditionally, this is a time of secret affairs and clandestine activity, but in modern times it often signifies working behind the scenes in a charitable way. You will find that helping others less fortunate than you are is very rewarding, and you may prefer serving others to superficial socializing. Once your life-ruler enters your sign and 1st house of personality on August 16th, you’ll be ready to join the party again. People are naturally attracted to you and tend to go along with whatever you suggest, so take this opportunity to push your own agenda! On September 11th, Venus enters sexy Scorpio and your 2nd house of personal finances, giving your bank balance a boost and attracting what you value. Next, Venus enters optimistic Sagittarius and your 3rd house of communication on October 7th, giving you the gift of gab. Spending time with neighbors and siblings is favored, and you will be especially good at cheering up those who need a boost.

Affectionate Venus returns to practical Capricorn and your 4th house of home and family on November 5th, bringing cheer and good will into your home. Because Pluto is here for several years to come, this transit may bring up issues that occurred back in January. Everything regarding this house will be experienced more intensely as Pluto leads you through personal transformation. In the case of the 4th house, you will be diving deeper into your family relationships, which may be painful at times but can also bring a profound sense of peace and healing. Venus turns retrograde on December 21st, which means she will remain in your 5th house until March 2014, giving you months to consider your relationships to your parents, the family you came from, and the family you’ve created.

Home and Family

Transformative Pluto is taking a long, slow journey through your 4th house of home and family, which ultimately means that home as you know it is undergoing change. Pluto will get rid of structures that are no longer healthy or working, and that includes the physical structure of your home as well as the emotional structure that is part of your relationships. This may be difficult at times this year, especially during January and again when Venus turns retrograde in your 4th house on December 1st. Fortunately, Pluto has a way of preparing the ground for rebirth… in the coming years, you will be able to redefine what family means to you. Pay close attention to the lunations on March 20th, April 10th, June 23rd, July 8th, October 5th, and October 18th as they will be triggers for events that will shape how you make your home and relate to those in your family during this transformation.

Work and Health

Neptune continues the slow journey through your 6th house of health and service to others this year, encouraging you to seek greater spiritual, mental, and physical health. Alternative health practices such as Yoga, aromatherapy, and acupuncture are all things you might want to give a try, as many of you will have hard-to-diagnose issues that are related to stress and your auto-immune system. Neptune and alcohol don’t mix well, so it is imperative that you are able to release stress in a positive way. An occasional drink is fine, but it is all too easy to become addicted during this transit! Working with animals and careers that involve art, entertainment, photography, hospitals, and the occult are all favored over the next several years. Some of you might find that a coworker is having difficulty and you may want to lend your support, but avoid becoming an enabler for bad behavior.

Career and Finances

As mentioned earlier in this forecast, stern Saturn may make it very difficult for you to get ahead this year as your cash flow may be restricted. Some of you may have heavy financial responsibilities with very little spending money left over. The good news is, you are well on the way to improving your career prospects as expansive Jupiter moves from your 9th house of higher learning to your 10th house of career and reputation on June 26th. July should be an important month for you as Saturn and Jupiter blend well, rewarding you for all of your recent hard work. With just a little bit of discipline and a lot of planning, you should be in a nice financial position as 2013 comes to an end… plus, you’ll be a lot more fulfilled by what you do for a living! Small sacrifices now will be worth big payoffs later.

Mercury the Messenger

What does Mercury Retrograde hold for you this year? Mercury goes retrograde three times a year for about three weeks each time. During these retrogrades, you can expect miss communication, delays in travel, and breakdowns in machinery and appliances. Usually these breakdowns are due to neglect or lack of attention to detail and the retrograde period simply brings this to the surface. It’s often a good idea to hold off on making any important decisions, purchases, or signing contracts when Mercury is retrograde. Brides planning weddings should certainly consult an astrologer to avoid scheduling the Big Day during a retrograde! On the positive side, Mercury retrograde is excellent for research and investigation. It is a time to go over everything carefully, looking for loopholes, mistakes, and weaknesses. Here are this year’s Mercury retrogrades and how they are likely to impact you:

February 23rd-March 17th, Mercury Retrograde in Pisces, 6th House

This Retrograde may feel like a recycling of last year as Mercury went retrograde in your 6th house about at almost the exact same time in 2012! However, this time around, you’ll be more prepared for the snafus it can cause at work and with medical issues. Machinery at work is more likely to malfunction and memos are likely to get lost in the junk pile, so be prepared for some office dramas and headaches. It’s also very important that you use good hygiene as hard to manage viruses get underway. The good news is that this is a great opportunity for you to review and research all matters related to health, and once Mercury turns direct you can make some solid decisions based on the facts you have gathered.

June 26th-July 20th, Mercury Retrograde in Cancer, 10th House

When Mercury turns retrograde in your 10th house of career and reputation, projects you are working on may experience some difficulty. Like the earlier Mercury Retrograde in Pisces, you may find that challenges at work lead to tension and drama, but chances are good that you are just the person to save the day. In fact, if you play your cards right, by the time Mercury turns direct on July 20th, you will be in line for a pay raise or a big promotion! In other cases, some of you may have communication difficulties with a parent. Try to be patient and remember, like all things, this too shall pass.

October 21st-November 10th, Mercury Retrograde in Scorpio, 2nd House

Again, here is another retrograde that seems strangely familiar as Mercury revisits your 2nd house of personal finances. This time around Saturn is involved, adding a note of greater urgency. You will need to take notes and double check everything, as money tends to disappear mysteriously during this time frame. Automatic, electronic payments may fail or worse, make double payments and leave you in a bind! This is not a good time to take out a loan, loan money to others, or sign any contracts. By the time Mercury turns direct on November 10th, you’ll be back in business again.

Lunar Life with Lady Moon

Your personal New Moon occurs on October 5th, rejuvenating you as you celebrate your own Personal New Year. This is the best opportunity of the year for a new beginning, so don’t hesitate to create a fresh start. The closer the New Moon is to your actual birthday, the more impact it will have, so make a wish for all you desire in the coming year! Like everyone else, you face many challenges, but this is your chance to set your intentions and goals for the coming days. Celebrate simply being yourself and every new opportunity you are given.

Your Full Moon happens on March 27th and represents the culmination of what you started 6 months ago during your New Moon in October 2012. This can be an emotional time, as the Moon represents our feelings and responses. Project that you started and decisions you made around your last birthday are now beginning to bear fruit, for better or for worse. Your closest relationships have an important role to play in everything that happens now, and you will need your mate, best friend, or partner to be supportive and understanding. Express yourself openly and honestly, and celebrate your progress while planning for what still lies ahead.

Eclipses

Eclipses indicate change in the area of life they impact, and are often felt for much longer than regular lunations. In cases where the eclipse makes a close aspect to planets or angles in your chart, they can be felt for up to a year. Here is what to look for during the eclipse cycle of 2015:

A Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse in Scorpio on April 25th may bring to light an issue related to your finances that has been developing for some time. Fortunately you were probably already preparing for this so you should be able to handle any bumps in the road with aplomb. With somber Saturn involved, you may be dealing with temporarily being underemployed, self-employed, or going through a slow season in a particular market. It could also be that you have to reevaluate your current value system to make sure your priorities are straight. If your work leaves you no time to do what you love, perhaps you need to work at doing what you love instead!

A New Moon and Solar Eclipse in Taurus on May 10th may signal the beginning of a new financial partnership for you. Some of you may even be the beneficiary of a will, trust, or other windfall. However, loans you take out at this time could be troublesome in the long run, so only borrow what you must. On a more personal note, this is a good time to begin a significant intimate relationship or to breathe new life into an existing one. Spend long, sensual evenings with the one you love.

A Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse in Sagittarius on May 25th activates your 3rd house of communication and community, potentially creating mental and emotional overload for you. Slow down and take some of the non-essential things off of your ‘to do’ list before you run yourself into the ground. Your neighbors or siblings could also be dealing with a crisis now. In laws and other relatives at a distance could be of concern as well. Do what you can to help without putting yourself in a potentially dangerous or uncomfortable position.

A Full Moon and Lunar Eclipse in Aries on October 18th may be the most unpredictable of the year, as it combines with erratic Uranus in your 7th house of partnerships. Healthy relationships with strong foundations should fare well no matter what kind of curve balls the Universe throws you, but relationships that were never very viable in the first place may finally dissolve. Your mate, best friend, or partner may be under a great deal of stress, so try to be calm and patient. Uranus will continue to transit your 7th house for several years to come, bringing revolutionary change to the way you relate to others. As Richard Bach once said, “If you love something, set it free; if it comes back it’s yours; if it doesn’t, it never was.”

A New Moon and Solar Eclipse in Scorpio on November 3rd activates your 2nd house of finances and is a preview to events that could occur during the Full Moon in Taurus on November 17th. Because Mercury is also retrograde at this time, you could be dealing with billing errors and payments that have been lost in the mail, so try to stay calm as you work through the system to correct mistakes. Some errors could actually be in your favor. Saturn has been in this house long enough for you to have a firm grip on your finances, so hopefully this is the beginning of a period of rewards for all of your hard work!

Libra, the Scales – Description and Personality

With charming Libra as your star sign, the Sun shone through a masculine sign on your
birthday. The Sun in astrology stands for your inner nature, the mark of your real
character. Libra is ruled by Venus, the planet of love, beauty and social grace, and is
the seventh sign of the Zodiac. A cardinal sign, creative Libra governs partnerships, the
arts, and making sense of self in relation to other. It is an air sign, so Libran people
seek aesthetic pleasure, balance in relationships and a harmonious environment. And
although you can always see both sides of any issue, this often leads down the slippery
slope to procrastination and vacillation.

The Sun, the ruler of our inner nature, falls in Libra, the exaltation of Saturn. Your
love of justice, combined with the need to be fair and even-handed contributes to that
characteristic difficulty you find in making decisions quickly.

Wit and Charm

You should beware of falling for flattery, because you love to be admired, especially for
your taste, charm and appreciation for excellence in the arts, including personal
adornments, dress, home decor, hair styling and so on. You graciously accept praise for
your achievements and will gladly give praise to others, when they deserve it (and even
when they don’t, should you be trying to talk them into something…)

In spite of your need to be liked, and reluctance to face confrontations, you are
surprisingly strong-willed. You set out to accomplish your chosen goals and will find ways
to succeed one way or another, usually by using your wit and charm. The “iron fist in a
velvet glove” approach is one key to your success. If you become convinced nothing more is
to be gained no matter what you do, you won’t hesitate to walk away from a situation with
no further explanation or thought of returning. The Balance is Libra’s astrological symbol
and you require balance in your life. In relationships, you invariably give back in kind
what you have been given.

Pleasure in Beauty

Emotional, physical, and psychological pleasure comes to you from beauty in all its forms.
Books, music, flowers, and perfume are typical delights. If your environment is less than
pleasing, you can become unhappy without even realizing that your surroundings may be
responsible for your despondency.

Social grace begins with good manners, extends to high level diplomacy, and ends with
abhorrence of disagreeable confrontations. You promote peace and harmony, and usually opt
to bypass hostile confrontations whenever some other method can be employed.

Seek the Balance

You can exert impressive physical energy at times, but your stamina tends to run in
cycles. You work hard and play hard, then collapse into inertia until nature restores the
balance. Addicted to luxuries and creature comforts, your inclinations sway to the
slothful, especially when the subject of physical exercise rears its ugly head.

That fondness for rich food and sticky buns means you actually need proper physical
exercise. Tennis, hiking, horseback riding, skating, and aerobics have some appeal, but
the virtues of physical fitness may indeed fail to attract you; watch you don’t turn into
a couch potato.

Libra rules the kidneys, lower back, and ovaries. Lower back pain, and problems caused by
too much sugar or rich food are common complaints. Librans are also subject to
interminable hovering between alternatives, or inability to make firm decisions,
especially under pressure, when you can be pushed by others into taking steps you later
regret.

Libra’s colours are ivory, pink (or rose), turquoise, and blue. A traditional birthstone for Libra is the blue sapphire, but another useful stone for you is the opal. This unique gem consists mostly of ordinary sand and water. Just as hidden water in opals cause the fire in the gem, there is more emotional content than is apparent behind the brilliant flashes of the Libran intellect. Libra rules flowers in general but particularly appropriate blooms for Libra include roses (white or pink), daisies, violets, asters and orchids.